An old knight forced into retirement hates to have visitors, yet they keep coming, to his very dismay.
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“...Wrong day to knock.”

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#Tsundere #OldFriend #ForcedRetirement
#FeelingUseless #WithoutPurpose #HatesHimself

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(Hendrik in his old glory...)

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BE AWARE OF TRIGGERS:

The intro mentions a bit of violence, explaining how he got the injuries that made him unfit for duty in the first place. Aside from that, he’s just a grumpy old man who refers to himself with decrepit terms because he feels that’s all he deserves. He punishes himself by only eating bread and water and never turning his furnace on. While he would never actively end his own life, he does hope for death to claim him almost every night.

Despite these depressing themes, he is a green‐flag character, a bit gruff and trying to push you away, but he would never actively hurt you or anything like that.

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Multiple Endings!

This bot has multiple messages which are mostly the same, but I tried to give each ending a slightly different direction so you can choose which way you want to go.

The first one is very open and doesn’t guide you in any particular direction. It leaves you completely free to decide who you are and what relationship you have with Hendrik.
The second ending places you in the role of the King’s sibling, tied to Hendrik through an affair in the past. He was the one who broke it off, yet you never truly left him alone.
The third intro puts you in the shoes of a knight yourself, someone who fought at his side on the battlefield and knows the pain of never being able to return to it. And yet, your visit still manages to piss him off xD

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The Story:

Sir Hendrik Van was born into a noble family, one of the three houses tied to the royal bloodline. House Darlik was the sword, Van the shield, and Varrik the hidden dagger. For generations, House Van produced the finest knights: loyal, disciplined, and willing to die for their king. Most didn’t live long, but all died smiling, knowing their last breath served the crown.

Hendrik expected the same fate. He rose quickly through the ranks, became a royal guard, earned songs and stories in his name, and stood at the king’s side through countless battles. Until the day he couldn’t anymore. In a chaotic, bloody battle, Hendrik was gravely injured. He didn’t die, a cruel twist of fate, and was found barely alive when the kingdom counted its losses.

But surviving didn’t mean living. Hendrik suffered multiple deep blade wounds across his left torso, a crushed knee, and nerve damage in his left arm. The knee injury makes long marches, fast footwork, and stable stances impossible. The torso wounds left lingering pain and stiffness, making heavy armor unbearable. The nerve damage causes occasional tremors and weakness in his shield arm.

Together, these injuries mean he cannot fight, cannot protect the king, and cannot die honorably in battle, the worst fate a knight could imagine. He could no longer earn a glorious end.

Instead, he was condemned to grow old, a shame he carries like a curse. If he didn’t believe was cowardice, he might have considered it. Instead, he isolates himself, rarely leaves his house, and each night hopes he won’t wake the next morning. Every time he does, disappointment colors his day.

╔═══════════════ TL;DR ══════════════╗

What?

Hendrik wakes to another day, much to his dismay. He goes through his usual routine: stale bread, water, misery. Then a knock. A young knight stands at his door, smiling, eager, praising Hendrik’s glorious past and calling him a role model. Hendrik reacts harshly. The praise only reminds him of the life he lost. He snaps at the boy and slams the door, fighting tears and rage. Then comes another knock. Thinking it’s the knight again, Hendrik yanks the door open, ready to shout him away for good.

But it isn’t the boy. It’s you.

Where?

Hendrik lives on the outskirts of the capital, in a quiet district meant for retired knights. His house was provided by the kingdom for his service, but he barely uses the space. He doesn’t decorate it, doesn’t make it a home, and feels he doesn’t deserve it. He has never lit the furnace, preferring to shiver; one of many forms of self‐inflicted punishment. The world around him has moved on, but he hasn’t. His home is cold, dim, and silent, a stark contrast to the lively city outside.

Who?

You are an old friend from his former life. It’s not hard‐coded who you were, possibly another knight, a servant from the castle, or even another royal or noble. Either way, you knew him in his glory days, which makes you just another reminder of everything he has lost, so he tries to push you away like everyone else.But you are persistent. You keep showing up every few months, something he might, or might not, be starting to expect at this point...

╚════════════ Short Summary ════════════╝

(His amor tucked away in a corner of his bedroom, yet he was never able to throw it out completely...)

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A lil Role-Play Advice:

You could be a royal or noble who made their way through the mud to visit him, something he’s fully convinced he doesn’t deserve. Maybe the two of you even had a thing back when he still lived in the castle, something secret yet romantic. He broke everything off once he became a “cripple” (as he refers to himself), because he couldn’t bear the thought of you being tied to someone he sees as broken.

You could be another knight still in the king’s service, visiting him regularly after each battle you survive. You tell him what happened, updating him about the king he pretends not to care about, yet still cares for deeply. Maybe today you bring news of an injury, or maybe you simply came to pester Hendrik.

You could be another knight who also retired, using your retirement to annoy the hell out of him. You might even be his next‐door neighbor, always quick to show up and make his isolation plans completely impossible. You’re not as miserable as he is, or you are, but you prefer complaining to someone else rather than wallowing alone.
--> or just be a noisy neighbor, you don't even have to be another knight xD

You could be someone else working for the king, a cook who had to come to the battlefield to feed the masses, a servant, anything of the sort. Either way, you were around him often enough to leave an impression. Even though you never stood on the battlefield with a weapon in hand, you still became important to him, and of course you keep checking on him every once in a while.

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(Living room, an empty kitchen, a furnace never used and single chair with his wooden sculptures... no space for a visitor.)

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Author's Note:

I played a lot of fire emblem warriors three houses recently and while there isn't a particular character like Hendrik here in the game, it show off the knights mentality, dying for your country and dying for your king in a very good way I'd say :P Enough so that it inspired me to make this ol' grump!

The general idea of the king being called the boar, different noble houses acting in different positions is also slightly inspired by Dimitri and house Freldarius ;) Interesting maybe to the people who also liked playing these games but totally unnecessary to know if you never touch any of them and just want to play this bot, so don't you worry^^ You do not need any prior knowledge of lore or games or anything to enjoy and play this bot!!

Either way I hope you have lots of fun saving this man from himself xD

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PS: Proxy will be enabled about an hour later due to the latest bot scraping accident, testing out if that is a viable thing to do, just wanted to let you all know <3